Kanatal Uttrakhand

We never miss a vacation around new years’, this has become like a ritual for us. To bid goodbye to 2016, we decided to go on a road trip and explore the Garhwal Himalayas, plus it had been a long time since we visited hills during winters. Our itinerary was Gurgaon – Lansdowne - Rishikesh - Kanatal - Chamba/Tehri - Haridwar- Gurgaon.

This trip taught me that hills are always a better choice for road trips during winters. While the Northern Plains of India are choking with fog during winters all day long, the hills are basking in the bright sun! Also, as the hills are fog free, it is always a very safe and enjoyable drive.

Kanatal is a scenic village tucked away in the majestic Garhwal Himalayas. Thankfully not many people visit this place. This could be because it is located quite close to famous tourist spots like Mussoorie, Rishikesh etc. so most people would prefer the known spots over quiet places like Kanatal or Chamba. May Lord bless them for sparing such places for us solitude lovers!

Kanatal is around 350 km from Gurgaon but as we went there from Rishikesh, for us it was a 3 hour drive (around 80ish km).  We crossed Chamba to reach there, but decided to halt at Kanatal first and then come back to Chamba for the New Year’s Eve. We stayed at the Club Mahindra Resort in Kanatal which in itself is a little hamlet. We had left quite early from Rishikesh and reached our resort in the morning, super fresh from the amazing drive. It would snow anytime, we were told. Our 2 days in Kanatal were totally laid-back. It was very relaxing to stroll around the village and visit nearby places.We also came to know that Kanatal is emerging as a favorite camping spot.We did not know this prior to our trip, perhaps next time

I woke up very early in the morning. The room was warm and cozy. How would it feel to be outside, I thought to myself. With trembling hands I opened the balcony door. A chilly breeze numbed me – It felt as if an ice bucket was suddenly poured on my head. I shrieked and jumped. That was frenetic - I couldn't stop laughing. The sun had started to beam above the beautiful Garhwal peaks- It was a sight to behold. I closed my eyes, trying to capture that moment in my memory forever. It was absolutely blissful.

Places I visited:

Kodia Jungle: The Kodia forest range is just opposite the resort. Jeep safari into the jungle is available but we did not opt for it. It was a great experience to wander around leisurely. The trek is very easy with tremendous beauty. It is a great place for photographers.

Surkanda Devi, Kaddukhal Village:  A drive of around 10 km led us to Kaddukhal village where we halted for tea on our way to Dhanaulti. From Kaddukhal, a trek of around 2 km would lead to the famous Surkanda Devi temple. Dedicated to Goddess Parvati, this temple is revered as a legendary shaktipeeth. As we were with our 15 month old baby, we decided not to hike up this time. I have trekked to this temple before. The panoramic view from the top is just breathtaking and makes up for all the lost calories. It provides a 360 degree view of the Himalayas. A paradise for nature lovers!

Dhanaulti: We drove to Dhanaulti for lunch, just for old times’ sake. It had snowed there 2 days back and the last traces of snow had begun to fade. The freezing breeze brought back fond memories of childhood picnics and college bunking. Even though there is not much to do here, I would anytime prefer Dhanaulti over Mussoorie to spend some quiet time. The lush green deodar forests provide some excellent hiking trails. There are some nice camping spots as well. There are two Eco parks at Dhanaualti and they arrange for some adventure activities.

Chamba/New Tehri: Chamba is just adjacent to Kanatal. It was our wish to stay in Chamba as well so we drove back to Chamba after Kanatal and visited New Tehri from there.

My 2 Cents:

1.       For a weekend trip, we could stay either in Chamba or Kanatal. It doesn’t really matter as both these places are just adjacent to each other and offer the same feel- only 20ish km apart. There are many resorts and hotels in both these places, so choose a place with the best deal. Roads are in good condition so it’s very comfortable to drive around.

2.       If you are fond of camping, here is another place to head for.

3.       Do read my Tehri blog, you wouldn’t want to miss it!

Chakrata Uttrakhand

At times it becomes imperative to just pause our chaotic life, look around, appreciate little things around us, acknowledge the people who love us and love them back, do things we love to do and thank God for blessing us with this beautiful life. With these introspecting thoughts in mind, I planned a trip to Chakrata and this place proved to be one such (much needed) beautiful pause for me.

Chakrata , famously known as the Jaunsar area, is a small cantonment town in Dehradun district. From Dehradun it could be reached via Mussoorie or Vikasnagar. Our Chakrata trip was supposed to be a secret mission- With my HUGE close-knit family scattered all over Dehradun it is almost impossible to sneak through without being known. “ Chakrata?  What’s there in Chakrata? Stay here in Dehradun”, they would have said for sure. “I won’t tell anyone we’ll be crossing Dehradun and no we won’t halt there”, I vowed to my partner before booking the ‘Himalayan Paradise Hotel’ in Chakrata. Now did the trip remain a secret after all? Of course not!

 We left early in the morning from Gurgaon, and only after we left Gurgaon I called my mom and told her about the trip requesting her not to tell anyone in Dehradun. No sooner I hung up the call,  dear mother called and told my nani, my nani told my aunt, my aunt told my other aunt , she told my uncle and so on. Soon everyone was calling us to visit and we promised to visit them on our way back from Chakrata. It was funny that I even thought of keeping it a secret.

We reached Dehradun by afternoon and took the Vikasnagar route. The drive after Vikasnagar was very scenic but after Kalsi the roads were in pathetic condition. I have heard Mussoorie route is better. As we were driving through the narrow rugged roads, I kept thinking why I never visited Chakrata earlier when it’s so close to Dehradun and about the hardships of life (I was in a sulking mode, yes) My thoughts were interrupted with a sudden jerk; a gigantic black snake was lazily slithering right in front of our car. It took its own sweet time in crossing the road and soon disappeared into the thick jungle. From Dehradun it took us around 3 hours to reach Chakrata.

The beauty of Chakrata is simply breathtaking. Lush green forests with oak, rhododendron and conifer trees are a sight to behold. It is a paradise for solitude lovers as well as adventurous souls. There are some amazing treks in and around Chakrata. Bird watching is another lesser known activity in Chakrata. The thing that I loved the most was that there were hardly any tourists around- tranquility at its best!  We stayed there for 3 days and every moment spent there was soul-refreshing. What an experience it was to wake up to the chirping of beautiful birds, spend the day in the arms of nature and sleep listening to the lullaby of the gurgling stream. There were so many awesome things to do, yet to do nothing and gaze into the majestic Himalayas was equally refreshing.

We trekked to some most picturesque too-beautiful-to-be-true meadows, visited nearby attractions, strolled around the villages, played in the waterfall and lost our way into the jungle! Chakrata trip was no doubt one of my most happening trips and this makes it my favorite weekend getaway so far.

As promised we visited my folks in Dehradun. As I hugged my nani she said, "What’s there in Chakrata to visit? You should have stayed here in Dehradun". We burst out laughing.

Places I visited:

Tiger falls:  Tiger falls are the cutest waterfalls for me so far. A moderate trek of around 4 to 5 km from Chakrata amidst dense forest and spouting streams would lead to these pretty waterfalls. By the time we reached Tiger falls, the sun had begun to set and the temperature dipped significantly.  Although we wanted to hop right in, the chilly breeze was holding our daring thoughts back. We were in a dilemma to step in or head back but the small crystal clear pond that the waterfalls formed was too pretty to ignore-without thinking further we jumped right in. It was crazy! The water was ice cold. It was absolutely hysterical, silly and purely refreshing. With chattering teeth and shivering hands we sipped our tea afterwards and just couldn’t stop laughing at our stupidity.

On our way back to the resort I thought how I’d been wasting my time worrying over petty things in life- All that stress I burdened myself with since so many days seemed so pointless. I tried to remember the reason behind all the chaos but I couldn’t – I was that happy. This was an absolute joy of life.

Budher Forest and Caves: The place is for adventurous souls. Budher meadows are beautiful. We drove up till the forest outpost which was around 30 km from Chakrata and then trekked our way to the caves. It was a moderate trek and took us around 3 hours to reach there. These limestone caves have a narrow entrance and to crawl in for around 150 meters was a lot of fun. There are some temples nearby. We had our lunch at the outpost and headed back to the resort.

Devban:  We drove around 15 kms to reach Devban and trekked a small distance to reach Vyaas Shikhar. Being the highest peak in Chakrata , it offers a breathtaking view of the Himalayas. It was a serene experience, exactly what I had expected and was very glad to be there.

My 2 Cents:

1.       Foreigners are restricted to visit Chakrata. Beyond Kalsi to be precise.

2.       Do NOT visit Chakrata if you tend to get bored after sometime looking at the mountains or you do not enjoy solitude because that’s the best thing this place offers.

3.       A comfortable pair of walking shoes is a must. You have to trek through the forests to reach all the beautiful places. No other option.

4.       Changing room is available at Tiger Falls. Do not hold yourself back from taking a dip.

5.       A pair of binoculars if you’re a bird watcher.

6.       Do carry your food along when you leave from the hotel for your excursions. There are hardly any options available.

7.       There is no help/ first aid of any kind available at the caves. Would not suggest for kids.

8.       We missed going to ‘Bittoo Cave’. The owner of our hotel discovered this place. Have heard it is an awesome adventure activity. Do take out some time to visit.

9.       Do buy some famous Chakrata Rajma and kulath daal.